


The Dance

by refrigeratormagnets



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Anxiety, F/F, Fluff, Highschool AU, Humanstuck, M/M, No Smut, Social Anxiety, awkwardness happens, dance is coming up, davekat - Freeform, equius isnt in the picture i guess, mentioned nepeta/terezi, never any smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-30
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-06-05 13:17:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6705862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/refrigeratormagnets/pseuds/refrigeratormagnets
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Karkat likes a boy, that boy being Dave Strider but Dave probably doesn't like him. The dance is coming up and he ends up taking his sister, Kanaya. While Dave takes his cousin, Rose.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> i will never finish that other thing sorry. Anyways, this is stupid and some of it was written while I was drunk and im sorry about that just ignore it. this is gonna be a bit shorter than other chapters i think. sorry for any and all type-o's.
> 
> ~RM

Karkat stared blankly at the whiteboard taking none of it in. He found his eyes wander over to the kid that was sitting two seats up and one seat to the left. Dave Strider, to be exact. Wow, did Karkat like Dave. Of course, he would never admit it too him because there is a less than -1000% Dave felt the same way. They hung out sometimes and he was fun to talk to and Karkat would hate to jeopardize that by throwing romance into the mix.  
But, the dance was coming up in a couple weeks. He really wanted to take Dave but there was no way in hell that was happening. And besides, he wouldn’t be surprised if Dave already had a date. He’s one of the most attractive guys in school. It always baffled Karkat that Dave enjoyed his company.  
The fact that he practically knew Dave didn’t feel the same way made him sad, sure, but he’d get over it. Maybe he could take Kanaya? But she was probably taking Rose...who happened to be Dave’s cousin.  
The bell released the students and Karkat found himself waiting for Dave.  
“Hey do you want to hang out?” Dave asked, wrapping his arm around Karkat as they made their way outside.  
“Sure. Have anything in mind?” Karkat wandered.  
“Not really. Probably the mall. I have to pick something up for Rose,” he said, adjusting his sunglasses.  
“Sounds good. What do you need to get?”  
“Fabric and thread. I think she’s gonna make her dress for the dance from scratch,” he snorted. “She can’t even sew. She can only knit. What is she planning on doing?”  
“Kanaya’s probably gonna do the same thing.” Kanaya is Karkat’s adoptive sister and best friend. Well, she’s tied with Dave.  
As Karkat and Dave reached the outside Dave removed his shades and placed them on Karkat’s face. He knew Karkat gets massive headaches due to the sun’s rays and he knows he gets especially cranky when he has a headache.  
The two spot the table in which some of their friends sit under the shade of a tree. These friends consist of John Jade, Rose, Kanaya, Terezi, Nepeta, and Sollux.  
Dave takes his arm back and, once they’re both in the shade, takes his glasses back. Karkat is a bit disappointed.  
Dave immediately walked over and sat in Rose’s lap. This isn’t an uncommon thing to happen, seeing as Dave has no personal space and everybody knows this.  
“Dave, what are you doing?” Rose ponders.  
“I missed you cuz” Dave then kicked his legs up so they were resting on Kanaya’s legs.  
Karkat sat down across from them, next to Sollux, who rested his arm on his shoulder.  
“Have you athked Dave to the danth yet?” Sollux whispered quietly. It was kind of hard to understand at first because of the lisp, but once Karkat got the jist and jabbed Sollux in the side.  
“Shut the fuck up,” he hissed back.  
After they hung out for a bit, Dave spoke up.  
“Okay me and Karkat are gonna hang out at the mall,” he stood up and grabbed Karkat’s wrist and began walking away.  
“Pick up-” Rose started.  
“Yeah, I’ll get your shit. Love you, bye,” Dave shouted after her. He put his glasses back on Karkat and began walking to the mall. Luckily it wasn’t that far and they made it there in record time.  
The pair mainly goofed around and got in trouble a bunch. Finally it was getting late and Dave still had to pick up what Rose needed. So, they made their way to a fabric store and Dave messaged Rose what colors and measurements she’d need while Karkat skimmed through a magazine.  
“I can’t believe Rose thinks she can sew an entire dress for the dance. Hopefully Kanaya will do most of the work,” Dave sighed, grabbing what he needed.  
“Speaking of which, you got a date yet?” Karkat asked casually, hardly looking up from the magazine he really wasn’t paying attention to. Maybe he should get it for his sister though. She might find this stuff interesting.  
“Yeah, I’m going with Rose,” Dave replied.  
“I assumed Rose was going with Kanaya?” Karkat answered, closing the book and placing it back where he found it. Kanaya probably already owned every sewing booklet there is.  
“Nah,” was all he said in response.  
Dave paid for the stuff and they exited the mall and started heading home before it got dark. Karkat left Dave at his door and parted ways. Once he got home he fell into his bed.  
Karkat shared a room with Kanaya and at the moment, she was doing homework and raising an eyebrow in his general direction.  
“Karkat? Did you have fun?” She asked. He actually did this everyday no matter how well his day went.  
“Yeah. Do you want to go to the dance with me?” He asked, shifting to make sure she could hear.  
“Of course, Karkat.”  
And that was that.

The next day Kanaya and Karkat walked up to the school yard. She had to practically wrestle him out of bed and he almost insisted she carry him on her back.  
They sat down at the same table as yesterday with the same people. They’d gotten there kind of early. Kanaya sat next to Rose again.  
“Morning thunshine,” Sollux winked at him from behind his three dimensional glasses. Nepeta was leaning on his shoulder, seemingly fallen asleep, while Terezi was leaning on her, also asleep. It was just a big cuddle pile up in this bitch.  
Karkat casually flipped him off without a second glance and took a seat next to Dave.  
They all talked for a while before the bell rang, signalling that it was time for suffering. Karkat made him farewells and started off toward Home Ec with Kanaya and Sollux.  
Today was going to be long and he could already feel it.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karkat hangs out at Dave's place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this even good? why am i even showing my writing publicly? i never do that. anyways theres probably only gonna be like four chapters of this. maybe less. 
> 
> ~RM

Karkat stared up at the board, taking notes. He felt a slight nudge on his shoulder. He grabbed the note out of Nepeta’s hand.

:33 < do you have a date the dance yet, Karkat?

  


He should have guessed. He scribbled back a response

  


ACTUALLY I DO. KANAYA.

  


He passed the note back, hoping that was all. But of course, Nepeta had other plans.

:33 < you’re taking your sister? don’t you like anyone?

  


Karkat sighed and waited a few moments before replying.

EVEN IF I DID IT WOULD BE NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. DO YOU HAVE A DATE?

  


He actually really didn’t care, but he was already so lost in the lesson he thought he may as well indulge her.

:33 < i do! i’m taking Terezi! it’s going to be so much fun :33

  


Karkat thought it was about time to stop talking about the goddamn dance. That fucking dance is going to be the end of him. He still had fourteen days before the thing. And Karkat hated social situations.

ARE YOU AND HER...DATING?

  


Was the lazy attempt at changing the subject. 

  


:33 > i’m not totally sure...maybe?

  


Karkat hoped they had finally stopped talking about the dance.

WELL DO YOU LIKE HER?   
  
It was a simple enough question.

:33 > of course i do! Thats why im always hanging over her, dummy :33

  


Karkat decided that was enough chitchat. The bell rang soon afterwards and he tried escaping the classroom before he felt a small person cling to his shoulder. God dammit.

“I know who you like, you know,” Nepeta purred. Karkat’s eyes widen.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” He asked, a scowl on his face.

“Pawllux told me!” Karkat made a mental note to yell at him later about it. For now, he just sighed. Why wasn’t he surprised.

“God dammit.”

“Aw, Karkitten, it’s totally understandable! He is very attractive. Who doesn’t like him?” she asked, arms still wrapped around one of Karkat’s. Nepeta and Karkat were the two shortest kids in school, so she was the only who could do this without uncomfortably bending down.

“Let’s not talk about this, okay? I’m really not in the mood for your shipping shenanigans,” Karkat sighed, earning a pout of Nepeta.

“Fine…” 

The two found their lunch table, Nepeta sitting next to Terezi and Karkat taking the seat beside Kanaya. Dave didn’t have lunch at this same time, unfortunately. Neither did Sollux.

Karkat pressed his head against the table, exasperated already. He felt Kanaya’s hand on his back and ignored it.

“Everything okay, Karkat?” she asked in her motherly tone.

“Just dandy,” he mumbled.

“Karkat has a crush~” Nepeta said in a sing-song voice. His head shot up.

“Nepeta! Shut the fuck up!” 

Terezi looked around, confused. 

“Who?” 

“It’s not your fucking business. Or anyone’s for that matter,” he stated with a growl. He spotted Terezi’s look of disappointment but didn’t really care. 

“Karkat, you are such a dick,” was what he retrieved in response from Terezi.

Karkat got out a sandwich from his backpack and glared at it, instead of eating it. 

“Are you planning on eating your food or just staring at it?” Rose asked, an eyebrow raised. Karkat looked over at her.

“I’m not really hungry,” he said simply before stuffing the sandwich back into his backpack and getting up from his seat. 

“Where are you going?” wondered Kanaya.

Karkat answered with a shrug and left the cafeteria. He let his mind wander a while before running straight into Dave’s chest. 

“Whoa, Karkat, what’s up?” he says, hands on both of Karkat’s shoulders.

“What the fuck, Dave? Aren’t you supposed to be in class?” He asked.

“Skipped. I wanted see you~” Dave flirted.

“Really?” Karkat raised an eyebrow, highly doubting this.

“Nah, I just didn’t want to go to class,” he replied with a smirk wrapping his arm around the smaller boy walking down the hall.

“Hey do you want to come over later?” Dave asked after a few moments.

Karkat thought about it. He had some work to do, but hanging out with Dave was really the only time he smiled. This has pointed out to him on multiple occasions much to his irritation.

“Yeah, sure,” he decided. Dave’s house was much better than his own. It was messier, sure, back it didn’t have a Kankri. Instead, it has a drunk girl, a goth girl, a guy that’s obsessed with puppets, and Dave. They did have a guardian, but he mostly challenged them to strifes on the roof. 

“Cool, Kanaya might be over, too,” Dave said.

The pair stood and talked next to some lockers until the bell rang for Karkat to get to fourth period. 

“See ya, Karkles,” Dave said.

Karkat sat through the next three periods of school, eager to leave. When it was time for his last hour, math, he sat where he usually sits, a few seats behind Dave and Terezi behind him.

“Nepeta told me who you like” Terezi hissed into his ear. He spins behind him and stares her directly in her red glasses.

“Shut. The. Fuck. Up,” he whispered angrily. “Stop talking to you girlfriend about me.”

A blush covered Terezi’s face when she heard the label.

“Sorry, Karkat, you’re just an interesting guy, I guess,” she said, still clearly flustered.

“That’s a lie and you know it,” he said before turning around and getting ready for class. 

When the bell rang, Karkat felt an arm rest on his shoulder as he got his things. He looked up at the figure with a scowl on his face, even though he knew who it was. It was just an instinct.

“Hey. Ready to go?” said Dave.

Karkat replied with a nod and started down the hall with Dave. The height difference between them made Dave’s intimate look almost funny. Karkat’s pretty sure that’s why he does it all the time.

The two made their way to Dave’s living quarters, with Dave going on about the new beat he wanted Karkat to listen to. 

“It may be my best work yet, you’ll love it,” Karkat heard him say. He wasn’t fully paying attention. 

Once they reached the house they saw Roxy sprawled on the couch, fast asleep. Dirk was sitting on the kitchen counter tinkering with a piece of metal. He turned around at the sound of the door opening. 

“Is Bro home?” Dave asked the elder boy.

“No. He has to work late,” he replied. Karkat guessed it was hard for one guy to support three kids. Even when none of them eat a lot. 

Dave nodded and walked over to check Roxy’s breathing. By now, Karkat knew this was an instinct for him. As soon as he was positive she was indeed still alive, he grabbed Karkat by the wrist and headed for his room.

He walked over to his turntables and slipped the headphones on Karkat’s head and started the music.

As soon as it ended, Karkat said, “It’s okay. A lot better than the shit you usually make,” and got a grin from Dave.

“You never compliment my music,” and slapped Karkat on the back in a friendly manner. 

They both perked up when they heard the sound of the door opening and closing along with the sound of two girls laughing. They knew immediately it was Rose and Kanaya. 

Dave went to lay on his bed, tossing a sword to the side. 

“What now, Karkat?” he asked, hands behind his head.

“Don’t you have something than listening to your shitty music planned?” Karkat said.

“Not really. And it’s not shitty. My music sounds like if Jesus Christ himself created it. But instead of a weird dude in the sky, it’s a cool kid with shades and swords.”

Before Karkat could retort, they heard a call from down the hall. 

“Dave! Karkat!” called a familiar voice, which both recognized immediately as Rose.

Dave got up and walked out the door, Karkat close behind him. 

“Dave, what do you and your boyfriend think of this?” Rose asked as soon as they walked in. She was pointing towards the mannequin in the middle of the room which had a purple dress on. Both Dave and Karkat tensed up and flushed red at “boyfriend”.

“It looks fine,” Dave said before hurrying out of the room with Karkat following. He heard the laughter from the two girls. 

Dave went to the kitchen for a glass of apple juice and Karkat spotted Dirk with a slight smirk on his face. Roxy was still passed out on the couch, snoring ludicrously loud, with drool escaping from the corner of her mouth. 

“What are you smiling about?” Dave asked Dirk, taking a sip from his glass of juice.

“Nothing at all” he said before returning to his work.

Karkat and Dave returned to Dave’s room and didn’t talk about what happened.

They then played videogames until it was time for Karkat and Kanaya to return to their own dwelling place.

  



	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everybody hangs at the park and nothing too exciting happens. Don't worry, next chapter is gonna be a doozy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is updated as soon as I finish a chapter btw its not like a daily thing. i dont want to keep you guys on the edge of your seat for too long bc i know you are all enjoying this immensely. thanks for the kudos by the way keep leaving those.
> 
> ~RM

Karkat let out a sigh as Rose and Kanaya looked through racks of clothes. Why on Earth did he agree to this again? He had given the two permission to help him look for clothes for the dance, which he regretted almost immediately. It was seven days away and Karkat still didn’t really want to go.

“Karkat, what about this one?” Kanaya called. Karkat spun around and saw her hold up a red tie and gray button-up shirt.

“Kanaya, I fucking hate red. You know that,” he scowled at the articles of clothing. He got a sigh in reply.

“But it looks so good on you!” she pleaded.

“I like grey, are there any grey ties?”

“Karkat! You can’t have grey on grey, that’s repulsive!” Kanaya shouted, as if Karkat had insulted her first born child or something.

“I don’t really care what I wear, Kanaya. Whatever you think looks good for me,” he said, finally giving in. Her face lit up with pure excitement.

“Okay! Try these on,” she exclaimed, immediately shoving the shirt, tie and a pair of pants into his arms and steering him towards the small changing room. He quickly changed and stepped out of the closet-sized room, to see Rose and Kanaya waiting for him.

“What do you think?” Rose asked Kanaya.

“Perfect! Just his style,” she replied, matter-of-factly.

Karkat rolled his eyes and changed back to his sweatshirt and jeans.

“Are we ready to go yet?” Karkat inquired as soon as he got out of the changing room. He was tired as fuck and just wanted to lay down. “Actually, we’re going to go meet up with Dave at the park,” Rose explained. Karkat’s eyes widened as he handed the cashier the money. He waited till they were out of earshot of the person behind the counter before speaking again.

“You guys need to stop trying to set me and Dave up. He doesn’t like me,” Karkat told them, looking down at his shoes as he exited the store, having already payed for the clothing. It was hopeless and he knew it.

“You don’t know that…” Rose said with a smirk on her face. Karkat’s head shot up, almost breaking his damn neck.

“Did he say something?!”

Rose moved her fingers across her mouth, symbolizing she couldn’t talk. Karkat frowned at her, but didn’t try to make any more conversation. He just dropped the bags in the car and buckled his seat belt.

 

“Hello, Dave” Kanaya greeted, as the group made their way over to the tree Dave was sitting under.

“Sup,” he responded as he pocketed his cell phone. He walked over and gave Karkat a fist bump. Karkat scowled as Dave ruffled his hair, which he does at least six times a day.

They sat and talked for what felt like hours about different assorted things such as school, home life, and new movies coming out, until Kanaya and Rose left to go the bathroom, leaving Karkat and Dave.

“Hey man” Dave said, Karkat looking up. “Don’t you think it’s weird that they keep trying to set us up on these weird double-dates?”

Karkat attempted to control his blush. He’d noticed too.

“Yeah, it’s pretty stupid,” he replied, returning to his phone screen where he was messaging Sollux. Dave ran his fingers through his hair. He took off his glasses and wiped them on his shirt, Karkat looking up quickly to get a look at his eyes, which were remarkably similar to his own. Dave felt more comfortable taking off his shades in front of Karkat, but was still getting used to it.

“Checking me out, again?” he teased replacing the shades. Karkat scoffed and went back to his phone.

“Hey Kitkat, excited for the dance?” Dave asked, in attempt for a conversation. Karkat put his phone away and sighed.

“Not in the slightest,” he replied.

“Nah, it’ll be fun. You’ll have fun. I’ll be there to make sure you have fun,” Dave answered. Karkat looked up at him, doubt covering his face.

“Oh really? And how do you plan on doing that?”

Dave shrugged.

“Not sure yet. But you better prepare your ass for the funnest night of your life.” Karkat raised an eyebrow at Dave. “That came out a little wrong,” he admitted, slight embarrassment showing on his face.

Just then, Kanaya and Rose reclaimed their seat at the picnic table, saving Dave the awkwardness that would have most definitely followed. Karkat went back to messaging Sollux.

TA: how do you expect two date hiim iif youre two afraiid two 2ay anythiing?

CG: SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT DAVE

TA: iim ju2t sayiing

TA: youre beiing a real wiimp

CG: OKAY YOU KNOW WHAT

CG: FUCK YOU

TA: no, fuck hiim. remember dave?

CG: NOPE

CG: WERE NOT TALKING ABOUT DAVE

CG: ESPECIALLY WHEN HES RIGHT THE FUCK IN FRONT OF ME AND COULD ACCIDENTLY SEE THIS SHIT

CG: JUST SHUT UP ABOUT DAVE

TA: iim not even gonna bother goiing two the dance

TA: becau2e ii have better and more iimportant 2hiit two do

TA: iim a bu2y guy kk

CG: YOU KNOW FOR ONCE ID LIKE TO GET THROUGH A FUCKING CONVERSATION WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT THe DANCE

CG: IM ALREADY DREADING IT ENOUGH THANK YOU VERY MUCH

TA: whatever

TA: ju2t glad iim not goiing

TA: anyway2 ii have two go

TA: talk two you later kk

CG: BYE SHITHEAD

 

“Karkat, you okay there buddy?” Karkat heard Dave’s voice say, his hand waving in front of the shorter boy’s eyes. He hadn’t noticed he had been calling his name for quite a while. He blinked and looked up at Dave.

“What? Yeah,” he replied, putting away his phone and yawning. “What’s up?”

“We were just taking our leave,” Kanaya answered, grabbing Karkat and walking to the car. He looked behind him and saw Dave waving to him. “Bye, Karkat! Talk to you later!” he called. Karkat answered with a wave


	4. Chapter four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Almost done. One more chapter after this one. Dave, Karkat, Kanya, and Rose, arrive at the dance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know my chapter titles are extremely originally yeah. Anyways, I decided I could make this five chapters so. Expect the next one tomorrow my guy. 
> 
> ~RM

The dance was in an hour and Karkat sat on his bed, messaging Dave. As much as he didn’t want to go, he had to. Kanaya, Porrim, and Mom were all making him. He just sighed and looked down at his phone screen

 

TG: karkat itll be fine

TG: theres really nothing to worry about

TG: youre gonna have so much fun

CG: I DONT KNOW ABOUT THAT DAVE  
TG: ssh no ill be right beside you the whole thing so youll be fine

CG: THANKS DAVE BUT I ALREADY GET BABIED ENOUGH IN MY OWN HOME BY ALL THESE DAMN MOTHERLY PEOPLE FROLCIKING ABOUT THE HOUSE  
TG: haha nah dude im not babying you

TG: just making sure your ok

 

Karkat could tell Dave cared about his well-being. Even though he didn’t understand why, he appreciated it. Dave had only seen Karkat break down once in a public setting and he was sure it was an ugly sight.

 

TG: you still there man

CG: YEAH IM RIGHT HERE ASSWIPE  
TG: are you sure youll be ok bro

CG: YES NOW STOP WORRYING ABOUT ME  
TG: cant help it

TG: love you karkles <3

 

Karkat froze up. Dave said that all the time, but Karkat was never sure if it was a joke or not. It drove him crazy.

 

CG: SHUT THE FUCK UP YOURE JOKING  
TG: no im not

TG: and im offended you would accuse me of such

CG: WHATEVER

CG: ILL SEE YOU AT THE DANCE I GUESS  
TG: see ya

 

CarcinoGenetist [CG] ceased pestering TurntechGodhead [TG] at 5:32 p.m.

 

Karkat sighed and laid back in his bed. He rested his eyes for only about two minutes before hearing one of his sisters calling. He pushed himself up and walked to the kitchen where his siblings were sitting.

“Why didn’t you ask this Dave kid to the dance?” Porrim asked.

“Kanaya, stop filling everybody in the family in on my love life, it’s really annoying. And it’s none of your damn business, so drop it,” he replied. Porrim shrugged.

“You should probably start getting ready soon, Karkat. We’re leaving in half an hour,” Kanaya told him.

“Why so early?” 

“We have to pick up Rose and Dave, which we both know may take a while,” she said. Roxy would want to talk both their ears off and take close to a million photos of the four.

He slumped into the bathroom where he changed and tried his best to comb his unruly hair, to no avail. He rubbed at the bags under his eyes and inspected the odd color of his eyes. Crimson red, just like Dave’s.

As soon as he was done getting ready, he walked into his room and grabbed his phone off of the charger. He checked the time and saw he still had ten minutes.

“Ready to go, Karkat?” Kanaya asked as soon as he entered the kitchen. She already had an emerald green dress on and a face covered in on-point makeup.

“Don’t we still have ten minutes?” he asked, peering back down at his phone.

“Yes, but they’ll probably keep us there for quite a bit,” she responded with a giggle. Karkat sighed and followed her to the car. He stared out the window blankly with a slight frown on his face. He really wasn’t looking forward to this in the slightest. He tried to refrain from using his phone in case of emergency. 

When they finally arrived at the Strilonde house, Kanaya and Karkat exited the car and knocked on the door. Rose answered and greeted Kanaya with a kiss and Karkat with a smile. They were of course invited inside.

Rose sported a purple dress with a darker purple ribbon tied around her midsection. She had a gold headband and black lipstick. Karkat noticed the look Kanaya gave her. 

When Dave emerged from the hall, he had on a white button-up shirt with a red vest and red bow tie. His hair was neatly combed back out of his face and he wore black skinny jeans. He had on the same red converse he’s had for months and his black aviators. Karkat was speechless.

“Hey Kitkat,” he said with a smirk. “You look snazzy.”

Karkat replied with a nod. He really couldn’t muster anything else. The guy he has had a crush on for quite a while was standing before him, looking good as ever, and Karkat couldn’t even return the compliment. He felt stupid just standing there. He would have slapped himself if there weren’t five people in the room, which consisted of: Roxy, Dirk, Kanaya, Rose, and Dave himself. Bro was nowhere to be seen. He managed a slight smile.

Dirk and Roxy then took close to a million pictures of the four before finally allowing them to head out. Kanaya and Rose sat in the front, while Dave and Karkat conversed in the back. 

“Sorry it took so long to leave” Dave said. Karkat couldn’t tell if he was looking at him or not. 

“We were expecting that,” he shrugged. 

“And by the way, I stand by what I said earlier,” Dave noted. He looked up at him, trying to remember what Dave said. “About staying by you the whole dance.”

Karkat froze.

“Why do you care, anyway?” he asked him. Kanaya and Rose were deep in coversation, not listening to the two boys behind them.

“Why wouldn’t why?” Dave replied, straight-faced. “You’re my best bro.”

Karkat looked down at the floor of the vehicle before muttering a small, “thanks”. 

Dave then ruffled his hair.

 

They stood in front of the school, Karkat hesitant to enter the double-doors.

“You okay, Karkat?” Dave asked, motioning for Kanaya and Rose to enter. They obliged.

“Uh, yeah. Just give me a sec,” he sat down at one of the steps and took two deep breaths before standing up and giving Dave the okay.

Dave wrapped his arm around the smaller person’s shoulders before entering the school’s gymnasium. 

The music hit Karkat in the face really fucking hard. It was louder than he expected. He flinched a little. Dave tightened his arm slightly. Karkat calmed down and went to find a beverage, Dave close behind him. They found John and Jade there as well.

“Aaaaw,” said John, when he saw Dave’s arm around Karkat. “You two went together?”  
Karkat gave him a scowl, while Dave actually replied.

“Nope. Just keeping an eye on Kitkat, while his actual date, Kanaya, gets it on with mine, Rose,” he explained. 

“Oh,” Jade said, sounding weirdly disappointed.

Karkat grabbed him and Dave a drink and went into the corner of the gym, away from any others. He took a sip from his beverage.

“Just tell me when you want to go dance,” dave said, leaning against the wall. Karkat swallowed. Was he keeping Dave from having fun? He would never forgive himself for that. So he took one last drink from the liquid before heading to the dancefloor with Dave. 

After about three songs of being pushed around like a ragdoll, Karkat started to worry. Why couldn’t he breathe all of a sudden?


	5. Chapter five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff happens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I actually finished this wuite a while ago but my interent decided it should kill itself so. Anyways, this is the last chapter. Leave a comment if you liked it. Also kudos would be hella. ok see ya.

Karkat tried taking a breath, to no avail. Bodies kept crashing into his. Elbows smacked into him and legs kicked him. His vision began to blur. He looked down at his hands. Something was very wrong. Very, very wrong. He tried saying something to Dave, words failing him. Eventually he gave up trying to speak and tugged on his shirt. Dave looked down at him and immediately understood.

Dave grabbed Karkat by the arm and escaped the gym in two seconds flat. He had amazing agility, which Karkat has never been more thankful for. 

His knees buckle and he trips and falls to the ground. Dave saw and picked him up and carried him on his back. Karkat’s heart was beating a million beats a millisecond. Tears filled his crimson eyes and rolled down his cheeks. Much to his relief, the halls were empty. 

Once the reached the outside, Dave placed his small friend under a tree. It was dark out by now. Karkat pulled his knees up to his face while Dave wrapped his arms around him.

“Was it the people?” Dave knew Karkat was sensitive about his personal space when it came to people that weren’t Dave. Karkat slowly nodded and wiped the tears from his eyes. 

“I-I’m so s-sorry,” his voice cracked. Dave took off his shades and tried looking him in the eyes.

“Don’t be. Ever. Your health comes first,” he said. “I love you, Karkat.”  
He looked up, vision still blotchy from the tears, shock on his face. Upon looking up, he say a smile spread across Dave’s face. He returned it weakly and pressed his head against Dave’s chest. 

He murmured a barely audible “love you too” which prompted Dave to look down at the person pressed against him. He seemed surprised. Karkat’s never returned an “I love you”. Dave always assumed the kid didn’t really like him, and he was pining after him for no good reason. Dave swallowed a lump in his throat before speaking again.

“Karkat. I love you,” he repeated. 

Karkat looked up at the blonde again with an eyebrow raised. He was calming down, slowly but surely. What happened next, he never could have predicted. 

Dave planted a kiss on the top of Karkat’s head. He continued to look at him, puzzled. 

“Dude, you can’t seriously still be confused. I just made it clear. Clear as the clearest glass in the cleanest aquarium with a most polite fish,” even he knew that didn’t make sense. But he was kind of freaking out. If Karkat didn’t make a move soon, Dave might just run away.

Instead of Dave running, Karkat leaned in and kissed Dave quickly on the mouth. It was short and sweet, but it meant everything to the two boys. Even though it was kind of wet from Karkat’s tears. But neither minded. 

They giggled like elementary students and sat in the grass for about an hour until Kanaya went outside to make sure they were okay. She found them talking and holding hands. Electing to ask them about it later, she went back inside to tell Rose immediately. 

 

Word that the two were finally together spread across the school quicker than lice, and they both knew it. They entered the school on Monday. Sollux was the first to approach, slapping Karkat’s back.

“You finally did it! Took you long enough, KK,” he laughed. “It was getting really embarathing lithening to you go on and on about Dave.” 

This prompted Karkat’s face to go red as a tomato. Dave chuckled, taking hold of Karkat’s hand.

“Somebody has a little crush~” he teased.

“We are dating, numbskull,” Karkat replied, rolling his eyes.

“Yeah but still...embarrassing.”


End file.
